This
year @ NASA for 2012
This
video provides a recap of the accomplishments at NASA across 2012.
Curiosity has landed, flight of the Dragon, Antares Rolls and so much
more...
Link
to 50 minute Video
NASA
2012 Year in Review
This interactive page on the NASA web site provides links to more
information about the major happenings at NASA across the year
2012
Year in Review link
What's
up for January 2013 from JPL
From
JPL email 11/28/2012:
"What's Up January 2013? Close encounters of the planetary kind"
Link
to Video
Visit
Endeavour at California Science Center
Space
Shuttle Endeavour is now on display at the California Science Center in Los
Angeles. "Endeavour
can be viewed in the Samuel Oschin Space Shuttle Endeavour Display
Pavilion. Guests who come to see Endeavour
will begin their experience in Endeavour:
The California Story, a companion exhibit featuring images and
artifacts that relate the shuttle program to California, where the orbiters
were built. Following their visit to The California Story, guests will be
directed to the Samuel Oschin Pavilion to see Endeavour." Timed reserve
tickets are required
Link
to California Science Center Endeavour page
Google
Maps Tour of Kennedy Space Center
"NASA's
Kennedy Space Center in Florida boasts amazing views typically seen only by
employees and astronauts. Now space enthusiasts around the world can take a
virtual walk through the transfer aisle of the cavernous Vehicle Assembly
Building, stand at the top of Launch Pad 39A, and more, thanks to a new
partnership between Kennedy and Google Maps with Street View."
Link
to Article
Link
to Google Maps NASA collection
NARCON
comes to Santa Clara
In 2013 NARCON, the National Association of Rocketry's conference is coming
to the West Coast and will be held in Santa Clara California February 22 -
24, 2013. There will be speakers on model rocketry as well as tours of
rocketry related sites in the area.
Link to NARCON web site
Space-X
Grasshopper
From: NASA Spaceflight.com web site 12/24/2012
"SpaceX’s ambitions of creating a full reusable launch vehicle have
taken another step forward via the third – and most ambitious to date –
test of their Grasshopper test vehicle. The 40 meter leap into the
skies at their test facility in Texas – followed by a stable hover and
smooth landing – was conducted without a hitch."
Link
to Article
Link
to Video
Link
to Space-X Web SIte
Spy
Satellites from the 1950's and 1960's
Would
you believe that early spy satellites used film and dropped it to
earth? We take digital photographs for granted today - digital
cameras are inexpensive and many laptop computers and phones have a digital
camera. We can save them on magnetic and optical media and email to
friends. But that was not the case in the early days of space - the
only thing available was film. And it was dropped to earth from the
satellite for manual retrieval
National
Museum of the US Air Force Display Video
Wikipedia
article on the KH-9 Hexagon
Wikipedia
article on the KH-7 Gambit
National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Special Collections
NRO
Video on Hexagon
NRO
Video on Gambit
Voyager
1 Enters New Era
From
NASA Science News December 4, 2012
"Eleven billion miles from Earth, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has
entered a "magnetic highway" that connects our solar system to
interstellar space. This could be one of Voyager 1's last steps on its long
journey to the stars."
Link
to Story
Link
to Video
The
50th Anniversary of Planetary Exploration
From
JPL News email December 12, 2012
"On Dec. 14, 1962, NASA's Mariner 2 spacecraft flew by Venus, making
the United States the first country to complete a successful mission to
another planet."
Link
to Video
Curiosity
and Mars Science Laboratory
From: JPL News email via YouTube 12/31/2012
"New Year's Eve revelers watching giant screens in New York's Times
Square saw a special Happy New Year greeting from Mars, which was 206
million miles away as of Dec. 31, 2012. The video is silent and formatted
to fit the Times Square screens."
Link
to Video
How
Do Rovers Drive on Mars?
From:
JPL News YouTube Video uploaded 12/18/2012
"The "keys" to NASA's Mars rovers are in the capable hands
of the official rover drivers. Learn how they operate the vehicles from
millions of miles away in this 60-second video from NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory."
Link
to Video
International
Space Station
December
28, 2012 New Year's message from ISS:
"Commander Kevin Ford and Flight Engineers Chris Hadfield and Tom
Marshburn of the International Space Station's Expedition 34 crew send down
their best wishes for a happy new year."
Link
to video
Destination
Station Exhibit
Admittedly
Phoenix Arizona is a bit of a drive (400 miles), but the travelling ISS
exhibit "Destination Station" will be in Phoenix February 22
to March 3, 2013. (It was in San Francisco earlier this year and we
did not see L.A. scheduled yet) "Destination Station is NASA's
International Space Station Program national awareness campaign that
promotes research opportunities, educates communities about activities
performed on the International Space Station, and communicates the real and
potential impacts of the station on our everyday lives."
Link
to NASA web page
